Cargo tester which simulates ship&#39;s motion



1952 H. e. ALLEY, JR

CARGO TESTER WHICH SIMULATES SHIPS MOTION Filed July 1, 1947 s 4Q.

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Patented Oct. 21, 1952 SHIPS MOTION CARGO TESTER WHICH SIMULATES Henry G. Alley, Jr., Colonial Heights, Va.

Application July 1, 1947, Serial No.758,459

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 30, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) Claims.

- l The invention described herein, if patented may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes, without thepayment to me of any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to testing apparatus and has forits primary object to provide a device which will simulate the movements of a ship and which is capable of receiving a load of cargo stacked in substantially the same manner that it would be stacked in the hold of a ship, so as to transmit to thecargo the stresses andstrains it would receive if in transit, to thereby determinewhether or not the packaging is sufficiently strong and durable, or whether or not the packaging might be reduced as tostrength or quality with a consequent saving in packaging costs.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of such a device which may be easily installed and operated and which is. sufficiently strong topermit repeated testing operations over a long period of time under heavy loads without appreciabledeterioration. 7

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure l is a vertical sectional view through the base of the testing device with a load of cargo mounted thereon, the superstructure being shown in elevation. v

Figure 2 is an elevational view of the apparatus taken at an angle of 90 from the showing of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view, partly broken away, taken on the line 33 of Figure 1. Figure 4 is a plan view of the apparatus with the cargo omitted; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the testing device loaded and ready for oscillation or rotation.

In the present embodiment of the invention, the base member includes a block of concrete l molded in a cavity in the ground and substantially flush with the latter, and an annular series of wedges 2 which have upper surfaces of arcuate form so as to provide a dished forma- 2 radiate from the base of the socket member. The ball of the ball and socket joint is indicated by the numeral 5 and is provided with a pin 6 which is slidably received in the central groove or slot l of the rockable member. s e

The rockable and oscillatable part of the testing apparatus may take various forms butin the present illustration is shown as a substantially hollow semicircular body formed of metal and indicated by the numeral 8. Welded to the inner portion of the member 8 and centrally thereof is a sleeve 9 in which the slot 7 is formed and the interior of member 8 is shown as filled with concrete or the like it) which serves as a foundaticn for supporting the goods to be tested.

In the present instance the articles being tested are shipping crates or boxes for burial caskets and these articels are referred to by numeral it. For the purpose of supporting a stack of these crates or other proposed cargo a plurality of erossbeams l2 and l3 are fixed to the upper surface of the rockable-member 8 anda re provided at their ends with apertures for receiving clamping bolts. i i. A framework comprising crossbars l5 and iii is providedfor placement upon the stack of articlesbeing tested and these crossbars are also provided with apertures at their ends for reception of the free ends of the retaining or clamping bars l4 so that the stack of articles may be loosely or tightly secured to the rockable member 8 as desired. Moreover, these clamping bars or rods serve as guard members to prevent the accidental displacement of any of the articles in the stack being tested.

As a safety feature for preventing the secured load and rocking member 8 from possibly becoming overbalanced and tilting beyond the design safety angle, it is desirable to provide four poles ll spaced a slight distance away from theapparatus and apart. Cables with the desired amount of slack are secured to these poles adjacent to the tops thereof and the opposite ends of the cables may be suitably secured to a ring 18 on the'upper framework 15-!6, as clearly indicated. Also, fixed to the upper framework l5l6 are a plurality of ropes It for imparting the desired movements to the testing apparatus.

As will be apparent by an inspection of Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, the rockable member 8 together with the load clamped thereon may be rocked or rolled on the dish-shaped element formed by the annular series of the concaved wedges, but it may also be rocked back and forth in a single plane. If the apparatus is to be rocked back and forth in a single plane in simulation of the rolling or pitching action of a ship, it will be understood that two diametrically opposed ropes 19 will first be secured to the two poles i'l adjacent the bottoms thereof in the same plane and the rockable member will be oscillated back and forth in the plane oftheother two'diametrically-opposed ropes l9 which arefree. Should'it be desired to rock the testing device in a plane at right angles to the plane just mentioned, it will of course be necessary to secure the, two freeropes.

I9 just mentioned and release the other ropes I 9" so that the testing apparatus may be oscillated in this second plane. Moreover, when it is desired to rotate or roll the member 8 all of the ropes [9 will be released or at least provided with sufiicient slack so that by proper manipulation of, these.

ropes Is the member 8 may berolled about the dished member formed by the wedges:2. Inzthisv movement, as well as in the oscillation of the member 8, the pin and slot connection provides the *necessaryireedonrof action of the rockable member 8.- These various movements of" the member 8*impart to the 1oad of articles ciamped= thereto the various stresses and 1 strains in much the same manner as they would-be received when stacked in-a ship andeonsequently it is possible not only-to-determine inadvanceof shipmentwh-ether or" not the packaging isadequate I but also to-determine tosome-extent whether" or not the packaging might-be--reduced in strength or quality and; a consequent saving in packaging expense:

While the-apparatus has beendescribed in considerable detail itwili be readily-understood that many of-the details-- may be'altered-orentirely meansforseeuringcargo on the'rockable'mem- 45 benandmeans forrocking the rockable member:

2. A testing device for cargo adapted to simulate the movements of a ship, comprising'a dished base member and a cargo-supporting member mounted in the base member and provided with a rounded bottom having a radius of curvature sma'ller'than the radiusof curvature'of the base member.

3. A testing device for cargo adapted to simulate the movements of a ship, comprising a dished base. member, a cargo-supporting member mounted'in the base member and provided with a rounded bottom having a radius of curvature smaller than" the radius of curvature of the base member, anda slidable connection between the base member and'cargo-supporting member.

4. IA testing device for cargo adapted to simulate the movements of a ship, comprising a base member including'anannular series of arcuate wedge members, arranged with their tapered ends toward the center of the circle, and a cargosupporting member mounted'on thebase memb'er. and providedwith a rounded bottomz 5. A testing devicefor-cargo adapted'tosimulate the movementsofa ship, comprising-a dished base member; a rockable member having a rounded bottom mounted on the base member; said rockable memberhaving a radius of 'curvasure-smaller than that-of the base member; meansforpreventing movement of the rockablemember in one plane; and means for rocking the member inaplane at right angles tothe-sfirst-mentionedplane;

HENRY G; JR;

REFERENCES" CIIED' The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES 1 PATENTS.-

Great Britain ....Sept. :13; .1940. 

